Improvement in folding chairs



A. WARE.

. FOLDING-CHAIR. I No.184,936, Patented Now/. 28, 1876;

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came STATES PATENT @rrron.

JOHN A. WARE, OF MORRIS, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT m FOLDING CHAIRS,

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 184,936, dated November 28, 1876; application filed October 6, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. WARE, of Morris, in the county of Grundy and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Folding Chair and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view ofthe chair, with the folding direction of the arm indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side view of the chair when folded. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively side and edge detail views of the arm and its connecting parts.

, This invention relates to certain improvements in folding chairs, designed to render the use of this class of chairs more reliable by imparting a greater degree of stiffness and rigidity to the same when disposed for use, while at the same time permitting the ready folding of the same into convenient dimensions for easy transportation. It consists in constructing the arms with a limited toggle or knee joint, adapted to fold upwardly when the chair is folded, and be straightened out to form a brace when the chair is disposed for use, which automatically locks the back in proper position against its forward movement.

In the drawing, A A represent the two legs; B, the back; 0, the arms, and D a flexible seat. The said legs are pivoted together at a, the rear one, A, being extended above the seat, and pivoted at b to the back, while the front one, A, is pivoted to the arms at c. In order to allow the chair to be both braced and folded, the arms are jointed at c with a limited toggle or knee joint, which permits the folding of the arms upwardly, but when pressed downwardly locks the back of the chair against a forward movement by allowing the joint 0 to spring beyond a straight line from the pivots c d of the arm. In the construction of this joint the arm 0 of the chair is recessed or slotted centrally upon its under side at f, which slot is adapted to receive a metallic tongue, link, or blade, g, which is pivoted to the arm at e, and to the back of the chair at 11, just above the connection .of the back with the rear legs, a

keeper, h, being employed for holding the end of the arm in place.

As a modification of this feature of my invention I may, instead of slotting the arm, simply recess it upon the side a depth sufl'icient to accommodate the metallic link or blade g,- but I prefer the arrangement first described.

To lock the back of the chair so-as to form a support for and resist the pressure ofthe occupant, the sides of said back are extended downwardly at E below the pivots b, and allowed to abut against the upper surface of the rear extension of the front legs.

From the above description it will be seen that the chair, while being readily folded, as shown in Fig. 2, is also strongly and securely braced when disposed for use, the peculiar construction of the arms serving to lock the same against the forward or folding movement, while the extension of the back to form abutments supports the back against the pressure of the occupant.

I am aware that the extension of the back to form locking abutments is not, broadly, new, and I therefore do not claim it except when combined with the arms constructed with a toggle-joint, as described, whereby I secure a folding chair that is, when disposed for use, perfectly rigid in all of its joints,

which could not be obtained by either the toggle-jointed arms alone, or by the extended back alone, as it is essential to the rigid character of the chair that the brace in one direction should be opposed by the brace in the opposite direction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The combination, with the back B and the folding legs A A, of the arms having an upwardly-folding toggle-joint, adapted to be straightened out and brace the .back of the chair when disposed for use, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with the back B and the folding legs A A, of the arm 0, pivoted to the front legs, and the link or blade g, pivoted to the back of the chair at one end and to the arm at the other, so as to form a tog- .gle or knee joint, as and for the purpose (16- the rear extension of the front legs, substanscribed. q tially as and for the, purpose described.

3. The combination, with the pivoted legs A A and the toggle jointed arms 0, arranged JOHN A. WARE. as described, of the back B, pivoted to the Witnesses: rear legs at I), and extended at: E to form THOMAS W. BARLOW,

locking abutments adapted to engage with EDWARD BBADX, Jr." 

